Spend the day exploring Chiang Mai on a guided cycling tour through the city’s quieter backstreets, historic neighborhoods, and temple grounds. The route takes in some of the city’s most interesting temples, local markets, and museums, with regular stops at food stalls and small eateries to sample northern Thai cooking along the way. Chiang Mai’s flat terrain and tree-lined lanes make for easy, unhurried riding with plenty of time to take things in at street level.

In the afternoon, head up Doi Suthep mountain to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, one of northern Thailand’s most sacred temples. You can climb the 308-step Naga serpent staircase or take the cable car to the top, where golden pagodas, active shrines, and sweeping views over Chiang Mai await. On the way back down, a stop at Wat Pha Lat, a quiet hillside temple set in the forest above the city that offers a calmer counterpoint to the activity above.

Your day begins with a morning pickup in Chiang Mai before heading north into the mountains of Mae Hong Son province. First stop is Mork Fa Waterfall: a wide, tumbling cascade with a deep natural basin perfect for a swim in the cool, clear water. Nearby, the Pong Duet hot springs are worth a detour for the curious: hidden within the forest, the geothermal vents form steaming brooks and makes for a lovely spot for a soak. Lunch follows at a local restaurant along the scenic mountain road before arriving into the valley town of Pai in the early afternoon.

In the early evening, board a longtail boat and cruise down the Pai River to a beautiful spot in the valley, where sundowners and appetizers are served as the sun drops behind the surrounding hills. Dinner follows at a local restaurant, with a spread of northern Thai dishes that reflect the distinct flavors of this corner of the country.

The morning is yours to spend at your own pace. Enjoy a late breakfast, time by the pool, or simply taking in the quiet of the valley.

In the afternoon, your guide will take you on a private half-day tour of Pai’s surrounding countryside. A short drive brings you to the Bamboo Bridge, where a walk across the rice fields leads to a small local temple. From there you will visit Pai Canyon, a natural ridge formation carved by erosion with narrow trails running along its edges, followed by a stop at the Memorial Bridge, originally built by the Japanese army during World War II and later rebuilt in the style of Kanchanaburi’s iron bridge. The tour continues to Tha Pai Hot Springs before finishing at the hilltop temple and its white Buddha statue, where you will watch the sun set over the Pai Valley.

Travel by minivan toward Mae Hong Son with two stops along the way. The first is Tham Lod, a large cave system through which the Nam Lod creek flows for roughly a third of a mile, cutting downward through limestone formations shaped over more than a million years. You will explore the cave by bamboo raft.

The second stop is Ban Jabo, a traditional Black Lahu village set on a mountain ridge with wide views over the surrounding valleys. Here you will spend time with the community, learning about their music, dress, and crafts including bamboo weaving and traditional sewing. From Ban Jabo, the drive continues to Mae Hong Son, arriving in time to check in to your hotel.

The morning begins with a 2 to 2.5-hour hike covering roughly 3.5 miles through local farms, small villages, and deciduous forest along the Pai River, ending at Ban Huay Pu Kaeng, a village of the Kayan people who migrated from Myanmar’s Kaya State. You will spend time with the community learning about their traditions before boarding a longtail boat for a leisurely ride back along the river to Ban Huay Deau.

After lunch at a local restaurant, the afternoon takes a slower pace. You will cross the Zutongpe Bridge through the surrounding countryside before a stop at Phu Klon Country Club for a mud spa experience. The day rounds out with visits to two Shan-style temples in the Mae Hong Son area.

Transfer back to Chiang Mai by road, descending from the mountains through changing landscapes before checking in to your hotel. In the evening, you will join a group kayaking tour on the Ping River, paddling a gentle 4-mile stretch toward the city center after dark. The route passes illuminated bridges and riverside restaurants, with Chiang Mai’s lights reflecting off the water as you make your way in.

Today you’ll transfer to Chiang Mai Airport for your flight back to Bangkok, where a private driver will be waiting to take you directly to Hua Hin. A laid-back beach town on the Gulf of Thailand, Hua Hin sits around two and a half hours south of Bangkok and has long been a favorite retreat of the Thai royal family. Upon arrival, settle in and have the rest of the day at your leisure.

Today you’ll visit the Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT) rescue center near Hua Hin, a sanctuary caring for over 800 animals – including elephants, gibbons, bears, tigers, leopards, lorises, otters, and a range of reptiles and birds – most of them rescued from captivity, illegal trade, or exploitation. A WFFT guide will lead you on a walking tour of the rescue center, sharing the individual stories behind many of the animals, followed by a traditional Thai buffet lunch overlooking Thailand’s largest elephant enclosure, where elephants and gibbons share open habitat.

After lunch, you will board a safari vehicle for a drive through the Newlands Area, taking in the Elephant Rescue Center and Tiger Rescue Center before a hands-on session preparing banana balls for the elephants and joining their handlers at feeding time.

Explore the wild surroundings of Hua Hin, starting with Pranburi Forest Park, a coastal mangrove reserve established in 1982 under the patronage of Queen Sirikit. Wooden walkways wind through dense mangrove forest, where tangled root systems and filtered light make for an atmospheric morning walk. From there, a longtail boat takes you along the Khao Daeng Canal through Sam Roi Yot National Park, a wetland landscape of limestone cliffs and calm waterways where macaques, mudskippers, and pelicans are regularly spotted. Lunch is a simple Thai meal after a full morning outdoors.

The afternoon takes you to Kui Buri National Park, one of Thailand’s last strongholds for wild elephants. From the forest edge near the ranger station, you will watch for elephants bathing and grazing in the open, with gaur, barking deer, and hornbills also likely sightings. As dark falls, dinner is served in the field before the drive back to Hua Hin.

A private transfer will take you back to Bangkok (3-4 hours by road), where you will catch your departing flight.